MND to consider all aspects in military streamlining plan
ROC Central News Agency
2011/03/21 13:25:14
Taipei, March 21 (CNA) Defense Minister Kao Hua-chu said Monday that his ministry will consider all aspects in a military streamlining plan amid public concern that units involving chemical response personnel will face cuts under the project.
Kao said the project is routine but noted that the cuts could affect every aspect of the country's military.
"We hope to achieve the goal of mustering fewer military personnel in peacetime and more in case of war," he said.
"The important thing is for the military to be easily mobilized so that our specialists can achieve combat readiness in a short time," he said.
Domestic media said that in the wake of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis that erupted March 11 in Japan, chemical response soldiers proved vital, but noted that Taiwan has only 2,000 such specialists, which could be cut by 20 percent under the program.
A recent investigation by the Control Yuan, the nation's highest watchdog body, has shown that under the streamlining program and to prepare for a planned volunteer recruitment system for the military, the MND plans to cut its military forces from 275,000 to 215,000.
This could lead to a lowering in the number of military personnel able to deal with disaster relief work and low equipment readiness, according to the report. (By Emmanuelle Tzeng and Lilian Wu) ENDITEM/J
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
